


My Heart Leaps For You

by tehfanglyfish



Series: Love Holiday [2]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Canon Era, Deviates From Canon, F/M, Fluff, I Hope It Doesn't Show, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I am very tired, M/M, Perwaine In The Background, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-14
Updated: 2020-02-14
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:15:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22706068
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tehfanglyfish/pseuds/tehfanglyfish
Summary: Everything has gone wrong with Leon's plan to finally let Gwen know how he feels. Fortunately, things have a way of working themselves out.Can be read as a standalone but makes more sense if you've readMy Flame Burns Only For Youfirst.
Relationships: Gwaine/Percival (Merlin), Gwen/Leon (Merlin)
Series: Love Holiday [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1633129
Comments: 16
Kudos: 77





	My Heart Leaps For You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lilyjamesbond](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilyjamesbond/gifts).



> This was written entirely too fast with not enough sleep and is likely a complete mess. But [lilyjamesbond](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lilyjamesbond) was having Gweon feels and they rubbed off on me. 
> 
> Obligatory disclaimer that I own none of these characters, this franchise, etc.

Sir Leon’s day was not going according to plan.

Only two days before he’d spent far more money than he should have in the Camelot marketplace on an assortment of tacky gifts that were, according to the mysterious old woman running the stall, part of the traditions for an annual love holiday celebrated in the neighboring kingdoms.

“You’ll win your sweetheart,” she assured him as he reached for yet another token to add to his pile. “Although a charming knight such as yourself doesn’t need all of this. I’m sure you could show up with just your smile and she’d be yours.”

Leon had shrugged it off at the time as a merchant trying to flatter a customer. Today, though, he hoped that the old woman’s words held truth. Where he had started the morning with a large pile of gifts, he was now left with almost nothing.

First there had been the encounter with Mary from the kitchens. He found her sobbing in a corridor and as a strict follower of the knights’ code, stopped to inquire what was wrong.

It took some time but eventually Leon learned that Julia from the laundry had a new suitor called Robert. Which wouldn’t have been a cause for concern if Robert hadn’t proposed to Mary a fortnight earlier.

Leon stayed for as long as he could and gave George a grateful smile when he came to collect Mary.

“Here,” Leon said, offering the distraught young woman the felt roses he’d purchased. “You’re too good for Robert anyway.”

He still had plenty of gifts remaining and Mary clearly needed cheering up.

Everything seemed fine until after training ended. While gathering his belongings, Leon couldn’t help but notice that the sweets he bought from the old woman were missing.

A loud burp from Gwaine gave away the thief’s identity.

Leon sighed. It didn’t matter. He’d bought plenty of tokens and could spare the sweets as well. Now all he needed to do was…

“Leon. Do you have a minute?” Percival asked. “It’s kind of an urgent matter.”

As head knight Leon recognized the need to make time for the knights who served under him.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’m pretty sure you’ve heard that today is the love holiday.”

Leon nodded.

“I… um…” Percival glanced at the remaining collection of tokens. “There’s someone I’ve been interested in for years now but I’ve been too scared to say. I thought that maybe today would be the right time but there’s a problem.”

“Be brave,” Leon said, trying to think of how best to reassure Percival. “You have a lot to offer and…”

“Actually, that is the problem. I have nothing to offer. Or at least none of the tokens the old woman was selling. I waited until yesterday to go to her stall and someone had come before me and bought her out. All she had left were these tiny… never mind. Anyway, I was wondering if you might have some tokens to spare?”

Leon sighed.

“Help yourself.”

Though Leon was happy to help a friend and fellow knight, he did wish that Percival had been a little less enthusiastic with Leon’s invitation. He’d started the day with a towering stack of gifts but now he only had one left. Hopefully it would be enough.

To make matters worse, he was having trouble tracking down its recipient. He’d tried her house, the laundry, the kitchens, even the library. No one had seen her. Maybe it simply wasn’t meant to be, Leon conceded as he began climbing the stairs to the knights’ chambers.

“Leon!”

She was standing outside of his chamber door, so stunningly beautiful in a maroon dress that he struggled to find his words.

“Gwen. I… um…”

Why did he always freeze like this? He remembered the old woman’s advice and smiled.

That seemed to work because her face lit up.

“I was hoping I would find you. I just came from your chambers but you weren’t there. I got you something.”

“I... I have something for you, too.”

“You go first,” they said in unison.

She smiled and despite his nerves he couldn’t help but relax.

“We’ll both go on the count of three,” she said. “One. Two. Three.”

Gwen held out what she’d kept hidden behind her back while Leon offered the last of his assortment of tokens, this one safely tucked under his cloak.

She began to laugh. For the briefest of moments, Leon panicked. Had he made a mistake? Did she think he was ridiculous? This love holiday was far more stressful in practice than it had sounded in theory.

Then he let his eyes fall to Gwen’s hands and he couldn’t help but join in her laughter. They were both holding identical stuffed frogs, sewn from green fabric, their front feet clasping red hearts with the words “My Heart Leaps For You” stitched into the cloth.

“I saw it at the old woman’s stall and thought of you,” Gwen said, taking his gift and replacing it with her own.

“It was the only reason I went to her stall in the first place,” Leon replied, hoping his voice remained steady as her fingers grazed against his. “I was going to walk past but I saw this one and…”

“It’s not chasing frogs,” Gwen began, “but there’s a party at the Rising Sun tonight to celebrate the love holiday. Do you want to go? With me?”

“There’s nothing I would rather do. Give me just a minute to get ready and we can go.”

Leon hurried into his room, carefully setting the frog on his bedside table. It only took him a second to change into his best tunic and join her again in the corridor.

“Shall we?” he asked, offering her his arm.

“Almost,” she said. “I just need to…”

He froze when he felt the soft press of warm lips against his cheek.

“I’m sorry,” Gwen said. “I thought…”

Leon cut her off with a kiss, trying his best to make up for the momentary doubt he’d let her feel. He wasn’t the most experienced, but Gwen didn’t seem to mind, leaning into him as she ran her fingers through his hair. After a moment, he wrapped his arms around her, pulling her close. With her free arm, she returned the embrace, leaving no distance between them.

It was only when they heard a throat clearing that they finally pulled apart.

“If I could just get past,” Percival said as he stepped out of his room. “I hate to intrude but I’m supposed to meet Gwaine at the tavern. I came back to get… something… I bought him from the old woman’s stall. I was trying to wait for you to finish but…”

“We can walk together,” Gwen said. “Do you have Gwaine’s token?”

Percival blushed.

“Oh. Yes. It’s… it’s very small.”

Leon’s mind flashed back to one of the items from the stall. A pair of smallclothes so small that he’d had to have the old woman explain them to him. Apparently Gwen had seen them, too, because her face turned a deep pink as she bit back a laugh.

“Come on,” Leon said, wrapping an arm around Gwen’s shoulder. “Let’s go celebrate the love holiday.”


End file.
